Parkinson's disease (PD) is a highly complex neurodegenerative disorder with a multifactorial origin. Although several cellular mechanisms and genes have been implicated in the onset and progression of the disease, the precise molecular underpinnings of the disease remain unclear. In this context, epigenetic modulation of gene expression by environmental factors is emerging as an important mechanism in PD and in other neurodegenerative disorders. Thus, epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, histone modifications and altered microRNA expression, have been under intense investigation due to their possible involvement in PD. Epigenetic modulation is responsible for inducing differential gene expression, a phenomenon which is essential throughout life in order to regulate multiple cellular responses such as development, cellular fate commitment and adaptation to the environment. Disturbances of a balanced gene expression can, therefore, have detrimental effects. Environmental factors can challenge the establishment and maintenance of epigenetic modifications and could thereby fill the gap in our further understanding of origin and/or progression of neurodegenerative diseases. In this chapter, we focus on the role of epigenetics in PD.
Keywords: Alpha-synuclein; DNA methylation; Epigenetics; Histone modifications; Parkinson’s disease; miRNA.